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Mark Wickman, Wine Auctioneer in Australia

Hi, I’m Mark, your Auctioneer at Wickman’s.

At Wickman’s my goal has been to provide a down to earth approach to wine auctions, and give our vendors clear and honest advice when it comes to auctioning their wine. So whether you’re an experienced seller or doing this for the first time we can guide you through the process.

Keep scrolling for more information or simply fill out the form below for an expert valuation and all the information you may need about selling at Auction.

Please Value My Wine / Whisky for Auction

Sending attatchments

If you have a cellar list in word, excel or any other format, you can attach it to an email. Please use the followng email address and quote our reference in the body of the email;

Our reference: CP1-1904-ORG6

wine-valuation@wickman.net.au

How do I sell my wine or Whisky?

  1. Create and submit a list.

    If you have a lot of different wines, for the fastest possible turnaround time, please submit a spreadsheet of your wine in the following format:
    Quantity, Vintage, Winery, Wine Name
    5, 1991, Henschke, Hill of Grace Shiraz
    1, 2004, Penfolds, Magill Estate Shiraz

  2. We will value each bottle and email your valuation.

    We will review your list, impartially value your wine based on past sales figures and suggest reserves for your wine (subject to inspection).

  3. We will respond with suggestions on physically getting your bottles to auction.

    Depending on your situation and the bottles you are proposing to sell, we will work with you to arrange shipment of your wine to our warehouse, or, with your permission and where appropriate, we will send a team to your cellar to oversee the packing and moving of your collection. This provides us with an ideal opportunity to inspect your storage conditions and make a short promotional video clip of your wine cellar to add confidence to buyers interested in your wine. We use Adelaide as our central inspection hub due to its location to the majority of Australia's wineries and winemakers but we also have drop off facilities for qualifying consignments in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with planned logistics opening soon in Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart.

  4. We will arrange a physical inspection of each bottle.

    We inspect and photograph each bottle (we don't use stock bottle photos which increases buyer confidence) to provide an accurate description for our buyers and to ensure proper condition and authenticity.

  5. Your wine is submitted for the next monthly auction.

    Online wine auctions are open for bidding and enquiries for a week prior to closing. Wine is held in our temperature controlled storage until the buyer has paid after which we pay you.

What our customers have to say

google reviews for Wickman's Fine Wine Auctions in Australia
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Commonly asked questions about selling wine

What is the minimum number of bottles I need to auction?
We will sell 1 bottle through to 10,000 bottles for you.

I am in the trade, can we work out a special arrangement?
Yes. We work with general auctioneers, restaurants, liquidators, administrators.

What does it cost to sell wine or whisky?
We only charge a commission when the bottles sell. We cover all fees for administration, storage, cataloging, insurance etc. Our commission varies depending on how much work we have to do to sell your wine but it will still be the lowest in Australia! We also offer a subsidised, sometimes free, service to pick up wines from your home or office.

Can I set a reserve?
Yes. We generally recommend a reserve that is a fraction less than the average price the wine has been selling for in the last 6-12 months.

How do you value the wine or whisky and work out a reserve?
We are at the forefront of pricing technology in Australia and constantly monitor both primary and secondary market actual sales data and will value your wine to maximise the best price for you and to ensure your wine sells in a timely manner.

What if it doesn't sell?
We automatically place it into the next auction. Occasionally it may be necessary to alter the reserve to find the current "sweetspot" but never by more than 10%.

Is setting a lower reserve better?
Sometimes. We often find that when wine is auctioned for a genuinely lower price it ends up getting more and higher bids than its peers. Its a mix of psychology; the buyers tenaciousness, urge to win and his competitive nature. Of course you have to be comfortable with the lower reserve if it sells uncontested.

What if I want a higher reserve?
We can talk about it of course, but if we feel it still wont sell for that price you have the option of paying a listing fee instead and setting your own reserve. The listing fee is refunded if the wine sells.

How do you store the wine?
We store all wine in secure, professional storage facilities. We do not charge anything for storing your wine while we are trying to sell it on your behalf.

My wine is not in Australia, can you still sell it for me?
No. We need to have the wine physically in Australia for inspection purposes. You have the choice of shipping it to Australia but should be prepared to pay taxes and duty on whatever you have paid for the wine. There are also labeling considerations for importing non domestic brands into the country.

When is the best time to sell?
There is no evidence to suggest that premium wine sells better at auction at one particular time of year or another. There are too many factors to pin down a pattern even when logic suggests that periods of celebration should increase demand.

If you have further questions please feel free to email.

Cellar photographs and videos can make a difference selling your wine
Cellar inspections, photographs and a video can increase the value of your wine at auction considerably
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